


The Callum Highway Untitled Project

by yasi



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26648911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yasi/pseuds/yasi
Summary: Callum meets Ben at their chemistry read for his first blockbuster movie and everything seems perfect. But it's not. When their behaviour leads to rumours of bad blood on set, they are ordered to go on outings to present a united front.Or: Callum and Ben are actors who don't get along but have to go on dates to prevent bad publicity.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73
Collections: ballum lockdown





	The Callum Highway Untitled Project

**Author's Note:**

  * For [minimitchell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minimitchell/gifts).



Callum is looking through the menu, not sure what to get. On the one hand he doesn’t want this restaurant visit to go to waste because he’s wanted to eat here for ages. On the other hand, he’s far too anxious to eat properly. Their orders had been clear. They had to spend at least three hours at a dinner date in a public place, so he might as well eat something he wants to.

“Do you know what you want?” he asks, looking up at Ben Mitchell over his menu.

Ben takes a moment to answer, still perusing through the menu. When he looks up, he smiles at Callum, making his stomach flutter.

“Yup,” Ben nods. “You want me to call the waiter?”

“Sure.”

They’re sitting in a secluded corner of the restaurant but still visible for the other patrons. Ben motions for a waiter to come and get their order. Callum sighs internally. He knows it’s his own fault that they’re in this mess.

~*~*~

Callum had been cast as the lead actor of a fantasy-action movie for a big streaming service. It was his first big blockbuster movie. Normally Callum did highly lauded indie movies. But the producers of this movie had approached him and his team, telling him he was their first choice to play the lead role. It wasn’t often that he got offered a role without auditioning, so he’d been intrigued. The screenplay was interesting even though it wasn’t a masterpiece in the making and he hadn’t minded doing something else for a change, moving away from those serious movies for a couple of months. Ben Mitchell was cast as his love interest later on. He’d heard of Ben, the new face in town, talent oozing out of his pores. And Callum had been excited about working with him. They’d first met the day of their chemistry read months ago. Everything had seemed fine, the chemistry read had been fantastic. They’d wowed their producers and directing crew. Callum had felt great and was looking forward to working with Ben. Until they’d started fight training.

Callum didn’t know what had happened, why his mind had switched, and he went off on Ben. He doesn’t even remember why it happened. But Ben had been nothing but professional, he hadn’t said anything bad about Callum and his behaviour had been cordial even after that incident.

But word had gotten out. And Callum knows it was his own fault. It was his behaviour that had given away the situation and soon the rumours had been picked up by the paps. Nearly every day there had been a new story about Callum and Ben not getting along on set and how it was disrupting the filming process.

One day, Callum chewed out Ben, and he just stood there and bore everything silently when the producers happened upon them. Callum was mortified but the scene they’d been working on hadn’t been working.

It had been the big love declaration - the scene that had worked so well in their chemistry read - but that day it just _wasn’t_ working. He’d put the blame on Ben, which had only been partly true. Sure, Ben had kept missing his cues and that in turn had thrown Callum off his game. But if he’d been honest, Callum hadn’t been able to feel the scene the way he had in the chemistry read. And he knew it, that’s what had infuriated him even more.

The longer they worked together for, the more tense Callum had become. And he’d blamed Ben for it. Callum had never been this unprofessional in his previous projects. But there was something about Ben that had been rubbing him up the wrong way and Callum hadn’t been able to put his finger on it. But only because Callum was good at ignoring his own feelings.

They’d been ordered into an office and told off in no uncertain terms. The next day they’d been called back to the same office and told they’d have to pull themselves together and be seen out and about with each other to ignite some new rumours. The producers wanted the media to think they were a couple and that all the previous reports had been a misunderstanding.

Their first outing had been a coffee date and the paps had gone crazy over them being out and looking cosy together. Though some had doubted that they liked each other at all and presented some body language experts. It had been ridiculous.

It turned out that spending time with Ben outside of work was surprisingly easy. They’d gone on several dates in the last couple weeks, their filming schedule permitting. Sometimes it had only been them eating together between filming scenes and someone from the crew leaking the pictures to the media. But it had been effective. They were talked about as the new IT-couple.

Everything in Callum had been ready to resist getting to know Ben. It wasn’t like Callum was stupid. He had an inkling what was going on, but he wasn’t being stubborn for nothing. Callum just wasn’t ready to admit it to himself.

So, he’d been reluctant to make chit-chat. Ben had taken the lead, had filled the time they spent together with inane chatter and Callum had tried to grin and bear it. But as time went on Callum had felt himself thaw. He’d started asking questions, engaging more in their ‘conversations’. The first time Callum had said something Ben’s eyes had gone wide and he’d stopped talking altogether.

Ben had been talking about Lexi, his daughter. And hadn’t that been a surprise.

~*~*~

“She loves going to the beach. Asks me every time she’s with me if we can go.” Ben is smiling that fond smile Callum has caught a couple times now.

“We could take her on our next outing, if you want,” Callum interrupts him, making Ben stop fiddling with his coffee cup. He looks at Callum with wide eyes, as if he can’t believe Callum is listening to a word he’s said. And he’d be right. Most of the time Callum tunes out Ben’s rambles but when Ben talks with that fond smile on his face, it makes him curious, and Callum listens. It had been a surprise to find out that fond smile was for his daughter. But from what Ben’s told him so far, she’s a feisty little thing with a mind of her own. And that Ben loves her very much.

“Only if you want,” Callum prompts Ben again. “I don’t know if you want her to meet me at all. And not to forget about the paparazzi. I get it if you don’t want her to be part of all this.” Callum makes a sweeping gesture with his hand and shrugs.

“No, I wouldn’t mind her meeting you,” Ben shakes his head and continues with a bewildered smile. “We’d just have to find a place that’s private and where the paparazzi don’t have access to. I don’t mind the odd grainy photo of her. She knows what I do.”

“No, I meant about her getting involved in our business.” Callum clarifies. He doesn’t want Ben’s daughter to be used in a publicity stunt, no matter how believable it would make things.

“I know what you meant,” Ben nods. “I don’t mind.” He smiles softly.

“Oh. Okay,” is all Callum can say for a moment, letting it sink in that Ben wants him to meet his daughter. It feels like a momentous step. He finally continues.

“The private beach is not a problem. I know someone. Just text me whenever and we can meet up there.”

Ben smiles again, his eyes shining. Callum ducks his head, trying to hide his own pleased smile.

~*~*~

Those photos had been everywhere for a while, and Callum had understood why. They’d shown Callum and Ben in a private moment. They’d looked comfortable with each other, their smiles genuine, the world around them forgotten. You couldn’t fake that kind of intimacy, that kind of chemistry. Those photos had been the ones that had swayed the last doubters of their romance. From then on everyone had believed them to be an item. But neither Callum nor Ben had commented on their relationship publicly. They’d just continued with their dates.

Which is what they’re doing right now. Though this time feels different, like they’re on an actual date. And Callum can’t even tell why. This is no different from all the other times they’ve gone out in the last weeks. And yet, there is something about tonight.

It might be about the way his stomach flutters whenever Ben smiles at him, the way he tingles all over whenever their fingers accidentally touch. The way he _wants_ this date to be real. And that’s the gist of it, isn’t it?!

The way Callum had seen Ben that first day and hadn’t been able to look away. The way Ben had touched something deep within him the way he’d delivered that love confession on their chemistry read. The way Callum had gone and done what he wasn’t supposed to do. He’d lost himself in his character even before they’d started filming and had developed feelings for his co-star, for Ben. The way that first meeting had dictated all of Callum’s actions until now.

The way Callum had been falling for Ben with every date they went on. He hadn’t even realised it, how he’d started participating in their conversations, how he’d told Ben more about himself. How easy it had been to open up to Ben, how real it felt.

_How real it feels._

Callum doesn’t want to give this up, doesn’t want to give Ben up. He’s hoping Ben has been able to forgive him. That they can continue to do this even after they’re done filming. Callum guesses that’s why he’s nervous tonight. Their filming is slowly coming to an end, there are only a couple days left. He wants to ask Ben to make this real. To actually date. He’s hoping Ben will say yes, because their every interaction indicates Ben’s fondness for him. And yet, Callum is afraid. It’s been a long time since he last put his heart on a platter and presented it to someone. He’s afraid of being hurt.

~*~*~

The waiter brings their first course and they enjoy it in silence, savouring the smells and tastes. When they’re both done, Callum fiddles with his wine glass nervously.

“You’d rather it was beer, right?” Ben asks with a small knowing smile.

Callum ducks his head, smiling sheepishly.

“You know me too well. A pity it doesn’t go well with our food, though,” he answers.

“You know how I feel about conventions,” Ben says, grinning.

“Oh, I do.” Callum can’t help but grin back at Ben, remembering their outing at an upscale burger restaurant and how Ben had just taken his burger into his hands and tucked in, not caring that there’d be candids of him stuffing his face. It’d made Callum laugh out loud. That date had produced some of Callum’s favourite paparazzi photos of them. Both of them laughing and having a good time. He won’t ever admit that he has a few of those saved on his phone. Hidden away safely.

“Lola wound me up about those photos for days,” Ben tells him. Lola is Ben’s best friend and Lexi’s mum. Apparently, Lola and her husband Jay couldn’t have children of their own and Ben had offered to be a sperm donor and now they had a daughter together. Callum had been impressed when Ben had told him the story.

“Well, you did look a bit ridiculous in those pictures!” Callum teases him, still grinning.

“Oi, it was your fault. You smeared the ketchup on my face!” Ben defends himself. And he’s not wrong. Ben had asked for ketchup and Callum had smeared it onto his nose tip and cheek instead of putting the dish where Ben could reach it better. It had been a good evening.

“Not my fault that you have short arms and can’t reach everything, is it?” Callum fake-mocks, making Ben pout.

Their waiter chooses that moment to bring their main courses and they both tuck in, talking in between bites of juicy meat.

~*~*~

Callum hasn’t made up his mind yet about when he wants to talk to Ben. He thinks it would be better to have the talk at the restaurant, so that if there is a fall out that Ben won’t make a public spectacle out of it. But he also likes the idea of talking to Ben in private. But that would mean asking Ben to share a taxi and he doesn’t know how well he can hide his nervousness until then. He’s already been fiddling with the glasses and cutlery all evening.

“Is something wrong?” Ben asks into the silence after the waiter has taken away their empty dishes.

Apparently, Callum isn’t good at hiding anything at all. And he’s supposed to be a good actor!

“And before you say it’s nothing, I know all your tells,” Ben says, making Callum stop. “Come on, I’m not gonna judge you.”

Callum studies Ben for a moment, taking in his kind face, the small smile, his blue eyes that look darker in the dim lighting of the restaurant. And Callum just goes for it. If Ben doesn’t feel the same way, to hell with it! 

“This thing we’ve been doing,” Callum starts, pointing from himself to Ben.

“What thing?” Ben tilts his head sideways, looking at Callum intensely. 

“You know, that fake dating thing,” Callum whispers, not wanting to be overheard.

Ben stops moving and the shuttered look in his eyes says everything Callum needs to know about Ben’s feelings.

“What about it?” Ben asks, his playful mood gone, his gentle voice turns steely.

“I just wanted you to know that I haven’t been faking it for a while now,” Callum admits, swallowing. He can’t look at Ben, he just presses on. “I know it was my fault that we were forced into this in the first place and I have no excuse for my behaviour back then.”

“I think I fell in love with you on that first chemistry read. You were so open and even though we were only acting I felt a part of myself reaching out to you. As if we were meant to meet. As if we were meant for each other. But at the same time, I felt ridiculous just thinking that. It felt unreal.” Callum shakes his head at himself.

“I knew what was happening, I just didn’t wanna believe it. So, I pushed you away in hopes of getting you out of my head. But once training started, I saw you every day. You were there, right in front of me, talking and laughing with other people and I hated that. I wanted to be your only focus.”

“Callum…” Ben tries, his voice soft. Callum shakes his head again. He has to say his piece, or it’ll swallow him up.

“No, I know it’s stupid. But I couldn’t help myself. It made me so angry. And I just felt like it was all your fault. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t feel like that. I wouldn’t feel like an unprofessional child. And yet, the way I was acting towards you was just that.” He stops for a moment, breathing in deeply. Ben’s hand on his makes him look up and he sees Ben, smiling that fond smile that Callum loves so much. It gives Callum the strength to go on.

“I think it was a blessing in disguise that we were forced into spending time with each other. It gave me the opportunity to get to know you. And I’m so grateful that I did. And I just hope that even after filming stops and we’re done with all the press work, you’ll still wanna see me. And that we can continue going on dates.” Callum finishes, a tremor in his voice. He’s admitted it all. Now it’s up to Ben to make this a night to remember or to break his heart.

“You’re an idiot!” Ben says, with laughter in his voice and Callum breathes a sigh of relief.

“I’ve never been pretending,” Ben explains. “I’ve always been interested in you. Be it as a friend or more, I just wanted to get to know you. And when I got the part of your love interest after our chemistry read, I was over the moon. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about the movie before the big announcement but when I got home that day I was grinning like a madman. Lola just had to ask one question and I told her everything. We spent the night drinking wine and talking about you and how fantastic filming was gonna be.” He smiles ruefully, looking at their hands.

“How disappointed I was when I got back that first day of fight training. But I didn’t have the heart to tell anyone what had happened. I just told Lola how great you were.”

“I’m sorry!” Callum interrupts him. “You were brilliant while I was being terrible to you. I think that made me even angrier.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ben nods. “But this is my first major role in a blockbuster movie, I didn’t wanna be disagreeable and ruin my chances for future projects. And I felt like, no matter what you did, it was my fault.” Ben shrugs. Callum feels even worse, knowing how bad he made Ben feel.

“Which is why I was excited to get the opportunity to go on these dates with you. I know you were anything but when we first started but I could see you open up slowly which made it worth everything.” He shrugs again.

“So yeah, it’s definitely working for me, too.” Here he looks up at Callum from under his eyelashes, making Callum swallow the big lump in his throat. Callum wants nothing more than to reach out for Ben and to kiss him. It won’t be their first kiss because they’ve kissed countless times on camera. But Callum sees their waiter on his way to them behind Ben’s back, so he settles for turning his hand up in Ben’s and interlocking their fingers, smiling at him.

~*~*~

Callum knows there is nothing to be nervous about. They’ve been out together countless times; people already think they’re a couple. But he can’t help the anxious way his hand smooths over his suit over and over again. Ben is sitting beside him, smiling at him. Lola, Lexi and Jay will arrive separately, going in through a back entrance. Because tonight is their night, it’s the world premiere of their movie. And Callum is not sure what he’s more nervous about: the critics or arriving with Ben on his arm. No, that’s a lie. He’s definitely more nervous about arriving with Ben on his arm. He goes to fiddle with his tie again when Ben stops him.

“Babe, you look good. Stop messing about.” He holds on to Callum’s hand, giving him an encouraging smile.

“Why aren’t _you_ nervous?” Callum wonders out loud, frowning at his boyfriend.

“Well, I have you beside me no matter what. What’s there to be nervous about?” Ben answers, smiling gently.

Callum feels the anxiety leave his body and breathes in deeply. He’s being ridiculous. With Ben by his side there is nothing to be nervous about. He squeezes Ben’s hand, smiling back. 

Their car stops in that moment and Callum’s publicist Rainie asks them if they’re ready. Callum takes another deep breath and nods. Rainie gives the signal and someone opens the door on Callum’s side. Callum puts on his big smile and gets out, holding his hand out for Ben. Ben takes Callum’s hand and gets out as well, smiling just as brightly. They walk hand in hand, nodding this way, waving the other way. The shouts of the paparazzi are loud, almost deafening. But he has Ben with him, who squeezes his hand every once in a while, letting him know he’s not alone.

They take their place for photo ops and pose, looking wherever they’re directed at. Callum hates this part of his job but with Ben by his side it’s bearable. When Callum feels he’s had enough of smiling into the cameras, he turns towards Ben and just looks at him. He knows everybody can see how he feels but he doesn’t care. The whole world can know.

Ben turns towards him as well and they hold on to each other, their smiles turning genuine. Ben is smiling that fond smile again and Callum can’t resist. He closes the distance between them and steals a kiss. It’s soft, their lips barely brushing. But it’s enough to make the noise around them explode. And yet, Callum doesn’t care. His stomach is fluttering as if he’s won the greatest prize in the world. And he did. He’s won Ben’s love. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are appreciated.


End file.
